Free White Paper! Build a Brand Journalism Program

In fact, custom content is 92 percent more effective than traditional advertising. So how can you create content that will spread awareness of your brand and drive sales?

The key is brand journalism, a subtle form of storytelling that benefits both your brand and your audience.

Through brand journalism, you can strengthen your reputation, attract the attention of your audience and influence their purchasing decisions. Cision’s free white paper, “Brand Journalism: From Awareness to Lead Generation,” discusses the best strategies for telling impactful stories that resonate with your audience.

But how do you get started? Here are three steps for creating your successful brand journalism program:

1. Define your approach

Brand journalism does share similarities with traditional journalism, such as creating and sharing compelling stories, but they differ in their goals. While traditional journalists seek to inform and educate, brand journalism aims to engage audiences and increase brand impact.

Make sure your brand journalism plan is concentrated on your brand’s goals. Once you define your goals, whether it’s increasing awareness, driving traffic or boosting sales, you can create a plan that will get you there.

But don’t forget to keep a journalist mindset. Tell your stories using journalistic techniques, like being objective. Be subtle in your approach and don’t beat your audience over the head with mentions of your brand’s products and services.

2. Look to industry leaders

To familiarize yourself with the necessities for a successful brand journalism program, study brands that are already doing it right. Their strategies can serve as inspiration for yours, and you may even be able to adapt their techniques to suit your brand’s needs.

For example, Red Bull publishes “The Red Bulletin,” a print and digital magazine that offers stories about celebrities, sports, fashion and lifestyle topics. With little mention of their product, Red Bull manages to establish a brand narrative with personalized stories that their audience can relate to.

3. Tell good stories

Brand journalism is more about people than products. Your products and services shouldn’t be the center of the stories you create and share. Instead, the stories should engage your audience and make them feel a connection with your brand.

To find those stories, use social listening software to search for trends and find out what your audience is interested in reading.

Don’t get caught up in trying to find the perfect story. Focus on telling good stories, and your audience will be drawn to your brand.